USU Ag Department Mourns

Practice News Story #11: Accident
Posted: 10:00 AM
November 28, 2007
USU Ag Department Mourns

TREMONTON, UT— 4 p.m.
Utah State University Agriculture Department was devastated to hear the news of the accident involving 10 of their students today.
A university owned 15-passenger van carrying 10 students and driven by instructor Evan Parker were heading south bound on Utah Interstate 84 when something went wrong causing the van to careen off the highway and roll several times throwing the passengers from the van.
Noel Cockett, Dean of college of agriculture and Interim provost for USU stated that the department goes on regular field trips and they have been as far as Indiana and Ohio to see farm equipment. Cockett said of the news they are in a "State of mourning, this is a huge shock, and a horrible devastation"
Lieutenant Jason Jensen of the Utah Highway Patrol was the first officer on the scene. He was already out on patrol and was coming around the corner when he came upon the scene. He reported there were "literally bodies scattered everywhere" there were seven pronounced dead at the scene, four taken to hospital. The cause of the accident is currently unknown, but speed definitely played a factor. An investigation will ensue. Based on his observation theLt. Jensen is guessing 95-100 MPH.
Kyle Holden, alumni of USU, was caravaning in a seperate vehicle. Pofessor Parker contacted Mr. Holden on a regular basis to find points of interest for students. This day the agrigulture students of UAU were just north of Tremonton on Interstate-84 viewing equipment in field. As they were returning from the site of the trip Kyle was passing Evan. They were traveling down hill on turn, when Mr. Holden saw sudden smoke and realized something had gone wrong with the tire. Seconds later he saw Evan struggling to gain control; the van exited the highway and rolled several times at aproximately 80mph. It was the "worst thing I’ve ever seen" said Holden. "The passengers were pretty bad, some were dead right there" instructor Evan Parker and 10 university students. "These were good kids … Evan was my mentor and the reason I graduated"